Syria's lawmakers selection from Druze, Kurdish-held areas postponed
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Syria delays the selection for its transitional parliament in Sweida, Raqqa, and al-Hasakah, citing security challenges in the said areas.
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Druze militants ride a motorcycle past a destroyed military vehicle following last week's sectarian clashes in the Druze-majority town of Sweida, Syria, Friday, July 25, 2025 (AP)
A Syrian official stated on Saturday that the selection process, which had been planned for a transitional parliament next month, would be postponed in the Druze-majority province of Sweida, as well as in two provinces held by Kurdish forces, Raqqa and al-Hasakah.
After toppling the longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Syria's interim authorities, presided over by Ahmad al-Sharaa, dissolved the Assad-era parliament and subsequently adopted a temporary constitution that is intended to govern a five-year transition period.
The selection of the transitional parliament is planned for September 15-20, a process in which appointed local bodies will pick two-thirds of the 210 lawmakers, while interim President al-Sharaa will name the rest.
This process will be postponed in the Druze-majority Sweida province in the south, as well as in Raqqa and al-Hasakah in the north and northeast, until the appropriate conditions and a safe environment are established, SANA reported, citing organizing committee member Nawar Najmeh.
Najmeh stated that the postponement was due to "the security challenges these provinces are witnessing" and that it was implemented "to ensure fair representation" in those areas.
He added that seats would be "reserved" in the transitional legislative body for the three provinces to fill at a later date and that the selection process could only go ahead in "territories controlled by the state."
Shaky ceasefires mar Syria
Sweida has been witness to much instability recently, after clashes broke out between the Druze minority and government-affiliated tribes, killing over 1000 people in the fighting that ended with a shaky ceasefire agreed on on July 19.
"In Sweida, the ceasefire agreed on 19 July has come under strain, but, so far, has prevented a slide back into open conflict… That said, we are still seeing dangerous hostilities and skirmishes on the margins of Sweida, and violence could resume at any moment," UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said in a briefing to the Security Council on August 21.
"The absence of stronger commitments and mutual trust continues to undermine the ceasefire’s stability," Pedersen added.
Meanwhile, in Kurdish-controlled areas, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have accused factions aligned with the interim Syrian government of carrying out multiple provocative actions, as well as direct violations of the March 10 ceasefire agreement in various locations across Aleppo and Deir Ezzor.
According to an August 12 statement from the SDF, these factions have recently engaged in “suspicious movements” near Deir Hafer and its surrounding villages, with the SDF emphasizing that, despite these provocations, its forces have shown restraint and not responded while also warning that continued violations could force them to act in legitimate self-defense.
